Global Cat Day

In August 2001, the cat advocacy organization Alley Cat Allies launched the first annual Feral Cat Day to raise awareness about feral cat colonies and how to prevent them. Organizations like Alley Cat Allies promote stray cat capture programs in order to curb feral cat populations. Feral Cat Day was later renamed Global Cat Day.

My late cat, Nala, was born to a feral cat mother in the Bronx, New York. This mother cat, whom my family dubbed Isis, produced beautiful kittens several times a year. My aunt fed local stray cats and participated in trap-neuter-return programs whenever possible. We could never capture Isis but we did capture, socialize, and adopt out her kittens. My family adopted three of Isis’ kittens–I received Nala and, a year later, my step-sister received Stella and Perpetua. All three of these girl kitties were spayed as to not add to their mother’s notorious line.

When I adopted Boudicca from the Dallas ASPCA, she had already been spayed. The Pflugerville Animal Shelter neutered Garrus and Charlie before I fostered and later adopted them. Also, all of my cats have been strictly indoor cats. While it is certainly the owner’s choice whether to let their cat be an inside, outside, or inside/outside cat, you should be aware of the pros and cons of each lifestyle. Leaving your cat unaltered can easily produce many unwanted kittens. Cats’ predation on local wildlife is its own topic of discussion that deserves its own post.